Cell Death by Polyvinylpyrrolidine-Coated Silver Nanoparticles is Mediated by ROS-Dependent Signaling

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are widely used nanoparticles and they are mainly used in antibacterial and personal care products. In this study, we evaluated the effect of AgNPs on cell death induction in the murine dendritic cell line DC2.4. DC2.4 cells exposed to AgNPs showed a marked decrease in cell viability and an induction of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage in a time- and dose-dependent manner. In addition, AgNPs promoted reactive oxygen species (ROS)-dependent apoptosis and AgNP-induced ROS triggered a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. The activation of the intracellular signal transduction pathway was also observed in cells cultured with AgNPs. Taken together, our data demonstrate that AgNPs are able to induce a cytotoxic effect in DCs through ROS generation. This study provides important information about the safety of AgNPs that may help in guiding the development of nanotechnology applications.